This invention relates to an apparatus for installing a multi-contact electrical connector on a flat conductor cable so that electrical contact terminals, which extend from one face of the connector, penetrate the insulation of the cable and establish electrical contact with the conductors therein. The invention is disclosed herein as a fixture for the cable and the connector, and the fixture is adapted to be removably mounted in a crimping apparatus such as the hand tool shown in my co-pending application Ser. No. 666,553 filed on even date herewith.
Flat electrical cables of the type comprising a plurality of spaced apart conductors contained in insulating material are now widely used in many segments of the electrical industry. Electrical connections to the conductors of the cable can be made by means of an electrical connector comprising a housing having a cable receiving face from which a number of electrical terminals extend, the number of terminals being equal to the number of conductors in the cable. When the cable is moved against the cable receiving face, the terminals penetrate the insulation of the cable and establish electrical contact with the conductors. Connectors of this type or class are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,189,863 and 3,820,055.
Under some circumstances, the cable and the connector can be pressed together by simply locating the cable in alignment with the terminals and assembling a cap piece to the housing so that the cap piece pushes the cable against the cable supporting surface, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,225,833. It is also desirable under some circumstances to use a suitable assembly tool for installing the connector on the cable and one form of arbor press device for carrying out this operation is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,055. The apparatus disclosed in that patent has proved to be satisfactory under many circumstances, particularly where the cable and the connector have a relatively low number of conductors and terminals, say about 10. However, it is now recognized that a more sophisticated apparatus is needed when a relatively high count conductor cable (e.g. 50 conductors) is being connected to a connector. The installation of a connector on a high count connector cable gives rise to alignment problems in that the conductors must be aligned with the terminals and other problems which are not significant when low count cables are being connected to connectors.
In accordance with the instant invention there is provided a fixture which has a connector supporting means for supporting the connector in a predetermined position and a cable supporting means which surrounds the connector supporting means. The two supporting means are assembled to each other and maintained in a normal position by springs such that a cable supported in the cable supporting means will have its conductors adjacent to the ends of terminals extending from a connector supported on the connector supporting means. The cable supporting means and connector supporting means are moved relatively towards each other when the installation process is being carried out so that the terminals move relatively through the cable and establish contact with the conductors therein. The structural features of the invention are such that different cable and connector sizes can be accommodated and the cable and the terminals in the connector will always be precisely aligned so that they will be properly assembled to each other.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus for installing a multi-contact connector on a multi-conductor cable. A further object is to provide a cable installing apparatus in the form of a fixture which can be used in conjunction with a suitable hand tool or arbor press. A further object is to provide an apparatus which is relatively foolproof in the sense that proper installation of the connector on the cable does not require a high degree of operator skill. A further object is to provide a relatively simple apparatus which will accommodate cables and connectors of varying sizes.